Iroha: Flying Eagles Will End Brazil Jinx

Former Flying Eagles assistant coach, Ben Iroha has expressed confidence the era of Brazil always emerging victorious in games with Nigeria at the U-20s level is bound to come to a pleasant end at the coming FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in New Zealand.

Iroha who assisted late Yemi Tella to win the 2007 FIFA U-17 World CupKorea said the Eagles can achieve this by taking the game to the South Americans when both teams clash in their opening group match on June 1.

"It's not a good statistics that we've not beaten them at the U-20 level especially at the FIFA championship.

"Although I've only met them at the U-17s level but I think the team Manu Garba has now is capable of overturning the Brazilians dominance over us", Iroha who is back in the country from the United States of America told Complete Sports on Saturday.

In a move that suggests offering tactical approach to the coaching crew of the Flying Eagles led by Manu Garba, Iroha stressed that in football, the best form of defense is attack.

"Brazil shares similar playing pattern with us, but we have advantage over them in the area of physical ability.

"We can also ensure that we attacked them right from the off, this way, they will be knocked off their game plan which is always swift passes and movement.

"We have a good attack-minded forward and if the Flying Eagles can keep them at bay with consistent attacking, there is no way victory would not come our way."

Iroha who was part of the Super Eagles 1994 AFCON winning team in Tunisia and also a member of the team that featured at the USA '94 World Cup finals also threw his support to coach Manu Garba in selecting the trio of Kelechi Iheanacho, Simon Moses and Isaac Success into his final 21-man squad list for the championship despite the players' absence at his Germany training camp.

"The coach has the final say in team selection; he may have been monitoring the players and knows that they are in great shape.

"Don't forget too he has worked with them at the U-17s and at the African Youth Championship and knows, like you and I, that these players have a lot of things to bring to the team".